From the Principal

Farewell to Raymond Charlton (aka Ray)

After 38 years as the groundsman at St Joseph’s, Ray Charlton retired at the end of the school holidays. Many parents who are ex-students and current students would fondly remember Ray. His work has left an indelible mark on our school and has transformed our school environment with beautiful gardens and grounds. All visitors to the school comment on the quality of our grounds, and Ray was solely responsible for them until recently when we hired a second groundsperson to assist him. 

Ray's service to St Joseph's has been invaluable. He was hired in April 1986 by the then-principal, Kevin Kiem, and was highly recommended by Mrs Lesley Shipman’s father. Since then, he has worked for five additional principals, always as a quiet achiever, never complaining about the work, and being exceptionally reliable. We are truly thankful for his dedication, as he has, to my recollection, never taken a sick day in his entire career.

In 2004, Ray was awarded the Monsignor Coolahan Award for School Service. The staff of St Joseph’s, who have always held Ray in high regard, nominated him. In the award ceremony, Ray was described as “a hardworking, committed and industrious groundsman…Ray is placid in temperament, level-headed, consistently happy, and pleased to meet people around the school. At all times, he is a gentleman displaying Christian values and respect for all here at the school… rain, hail or shine, he is here, with purpose and energy abounding.”

I invited John Tobin, Robert Holstein, and a few long-standing staff members to join Ray and myself for lunch during the school holidays. This was a lovely surprise for Ray, and we presented him with a gift from the school. I have asked Ray to return after the HSC to a school assembly so all the staff and students can wish him farewell. 

Thank you, Ray, for your unwavering dedication to our school community. We wish Ray a long, relaxing and well-deserved retirement.

HSC Week 1 Completed

Year 12 have completed one of the four weeks of HSC Examinations. We keep all Year 12 students in our thoughts and prayers over the coming weeks. 

We concluded Term 3 with the Year 12 Presentation night when the academic awards were announced. Congratulations to all students who received awards. A list can be found in a latter part of this Newsletter.

On the evening of Friday, 8 November, we will celebrate the end of the HSC Examinations with the Year 12 Graduation. It is only fitting that we recognise the students' hard work and dedication to achieving this significant milestone.

Building Update

Hopefully, within the next two weeks, we will take possession of our new buildings: the administration extension joining the staff room and the two additional classrooms at the rear of the school. The builders are aiming to complete their work by 1 November. The furniture arrived last week and is being put into place; a small amount of landscaping is still to be completed, and the final cleanup is to be done, then we should be ready to start moving in. 

The Diocesan Building Levy made these new buildings possible. This year, we applied to build an additional Science Lab, an Agriculture Lab (replacing the old demountable classrooms) and an extension of our Science Prep Room. Promisingly, these three projects have progressed to the Catholic Schools Office budget committee for final approval. 

Veronica Rolfe

Principal